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Sinclair's Home for Extraordinary Children
Sinclair's Home for Extraordinary Children was founded by a infamous couple from the Silver Generation to train young metahumans in controlling their powers, especially those who plan to go into the professional hero business or in a relevant hero field (e.g. management, tech support, costume design). Sinclair's Home makes it known from the first day of enrollment that students are not forced down the path of heroism and that the facilities in the Home are open for all to use and explore for their personal development, regardless of the life path they choose to take. The collection of faculty currently consists of retired heroes, guest lecturers, and reformed villains trying to guide the new generation to a life of superhero greatness. The school motto in Latin is "scire te scire te dignum" which translates to "Know yourself, know your worth", reflecting Dr. Agnes Huxley's heartfelt wish of promoting self-awareness and positive self regard in everyone who walks through the gates of the Sinclair Home. History The first thing you need to understand about the Sinclair's Home for Extraordinary Children is Dr. Agnes Huxley. Huxley was one of the Elements—a relatively early member, but after the original team of four had already expanded. She was only 16 herself when she joined that team, taking up the role of Ice Maiden before eventually becoming Lady Ice, the superhero moniker for which she is most well-known. A few years later, she found herself in love and married to a war doctor by the name of Dr. Ainsley Sinclair, son to the wealthiest man in Halcyon City at the time and heir to Sinclair Properties. It was from this marriage that she was able to procure the funding and resources to build the home and used her husband's surname in the title. When the first notion of the Sinclair's Home came to her mind, she was too young and too inexperienced. Yet the idea stayed and it wouldn’t go away. Although her husband's riches came in handy, she drove her efforts towards making the Academy a reality through earning the necessary degrees (and even doctorate), procuring the funding, and leaving the superheroic life to become an administrator for the first privately owned and controlled but publicly accessible young superhero academy. Before the home, there were other schools. Most of them were limited, closed-off in some way—a school specifically and only for those whose genes had been rewritten in 1972's geni-bomb, or a school for the so-called “mystic arts”. Many of them were owned and operated directly by the government, and acted more as training facilities for new A.E.G.I.S. operatives or soldiers than they were actual education. Sinclair's Home was something else and free from government control. Agnes Huxley brought in real teachers from around the world, experts in their courses, acclaimed individuals. She made sure the Home had adequate and well-equipped dorms, science facilities, gymnasiums that catered to metahuman abilities—every possible affordance and facility that the students could need. She set a price for tuition, to keep the Home funded, but offered extreme tuition assistance for students who couldn’t pay, including free-rides more often than not. While her husband's wealth was obvious, the origin of her funding still remains a question open to speculation, but most historians assume that she was being funded by contacts she made in the superheroic world—for instance, the Texpert, often hypothesized to have been billionaire Cynthia Quinn, was known as a good friend of Lady Ice, and might have provided funding through charities and other backdoor routes. Regardless, the Sinclair's Home for Extraordinary Children that Agnes Huxley and her husband, Ainsley Sinclair built was an impressive sight. Photographer Yong Yi describes it as “…a monument to hope. Yes, it was a school, and had all those hallmarks, but the modern architecture, the glass, the statues, the open spaces, the constant reminders about Halcyon’s heroic history—it was designed from the ground up to give students a clear glimpse of their futures. It was beautiful, long before any students were even on campus.” When students filtered into its halls for the first time in approximately 1961, the Sinclair's Home to Extraordinary Children came to life. News organizations from the time covered it with headlines like, “Sinclair's Home for Extraordinary Children Promises Better Future For New Generation of Halcyon” and “Sinclair's Home for Extraordinary Children: The Hope of Halcyon City.” In the midst of darker stories of that era, the home was a place of hope for the future, and every story that came out of it was a forward-looking ode to progress. Backlash Not everything was sunshine and rainbows for the Sinclair's Home though. In 1973, James Holt, the then councilman led a campaign to close the Academy and held the Sinclairs responsible for the metahuman students that graduated but turned into supervillains, specifically the villainous metahuman group called The Infernos that took over the school to manipulate the then students to join their Legion of Fury, burnt several acres of the Halcyon City's National Forest in the Eastern Fringes, and injured thousands in their attempts to "cleanse" the city. They were eventually captured and detained by other supers and the help of A.E.G.I.S. operatives but the scorched scars of their attacks can still be felt and seen in the city today. Due to this, Holt believed the school was too dangerous to be allowed to exist without direct governmental supervision. The campaign he called for was simple: either the Home would have to close, or it would have to cede all control to Halcyon City. Holt ultimately gathered a massive movement of anti-metahuman-education protesters, and pressuring the city government to revoke the Sinclair's Home for Extraordinary Children’s license. His campaign garnered him enough support among the fearful, the doubtful, and the concerned to earn him the office of Mayor some years later, as well. However, this campaign was short-lived due to the influence of the famous Captain Century who swayed the protesters and quelled their fears through promises and gifts. Most speculate that the true reasoning behind the fall of the campaign was a private compromise between Councilman Holt and the Sinclairs. Some believe that the Sinclairs had relinquished control of the school and had given it to A.E.G.I.S. agents who would run its administration and report directly to the government. Whatever the case may be, Mayor Holt has not touched or voiced any concerns regarding the Sinclair's Home ever since. Campus Location Despite its colorful history and resulting tragedies, Sinclair's Home for Extraordinary Children is a beautiful campus set atop the hill of Briggen Heights in Langdale with nary a visible blemish from its past. Surrounding the school grounds are a light smattering of woods with beech, birch, and oak trees. A short ways away from the walled academy is the scenic South Bay Road. Exterior The campus itself is carefully manicured and always green when the season calls for it. Paths and driveways curve gently and seem to meander through the property, but that’s more a testament to the skill of the landscapers. There are enough trees to soften the terrain without blocking the sight-lines, but they also lend a sense of age to the already venerable-looking brownstones. The campus looks like a well-maintained slice of 19th Century life, but the truth is, it’s a convincing mock-up of the campus that Dr. Ainsley Sinclair envisioned, with some extra touches in the way of modern amenities. Currently, there are renovations being made to accommodate more students and facilities such as an outdoors space designated for food trucks to conduct business, a virtual combat simulation room in the boy's dormitory, and the Amplifier, a closed dome specifically made for telepaths to practice and enhance their abilities. While largely oldschool, its current aesthetic is a harmonious blend of both modern and traditional architecture, something the resident students seem to appreciate and enjoy. The school is divided into three main areas. The first is the school proper with its chateau-style buildings surrounding the main quad on all four sides. Behind it is the second area upon which sits the gardens, three dormitories, and the Administrative Building. Behind that is the third area, a large open field with its tree groves and open green spaces for playing touch football, Frisbee, or just sitting and relaxing. Beyond that lie the baseball diamond and the Home's swimming pool. Interior Inside the buildings, the same attention to detail and decor remains. The walls are half-paneled using maple and cherry woods, while the floors are made in the rustic style with maple floorboards. Carved plaster ceilings adorn some hallways and rooms, while various paintings hang from walls. Some of the windows are etched, while brass and copper trimmings and fittings can be found throughout the buildings. The school grounds and the building interiors look very much like the touches on old five-star hotels. That’s not to say there isn’t space for the modern touches, but Dr. Agnes Huxley ensured that they were relatively hidden in comparison to the decor. The multi-story buildings contain elevators, and all the buildings are fully wheelchair accessible for teachers like Natalia Sokolov and certain students. Enrollment The enrollment process is a relatively simple one, whereby prospective students can send in physical or online applications to the Admission's Office and receive an answer within 7 business days. Despite the significant rise of metahumans in the New Generation, the Home is able to take in the bulk of the applicants and will refer the rejected applicants to other Super institutions such as UMA or Halcyon School for the Gifted. Once enrolled, all students are required to send a report on their powers/abilities and body specs to administration. This is so that an affiliated company such as DupliGlitz or Merkel's Miracles may take that information and make their ideal costumes. Students can also send in specific requests for their costumes, such as its shape or devices that can amplify their abilities or weaken its drawbacks. Once registered, students will undergo a 2 day Orientation Programme to tour around campus, move into their respective dorm rooms, and are given an ID bracelet that contains important information about them without revealing their secret identity (information revealed: health concerns in case of medical emergencies). Every door in the Home has a sensor installed that scans the ID bracelets of anyone that walks in; if someone enters without a visitor, student, or staff bracelet, the building will go into lockdown to contain the person, seeing them as a potential threat. The Home's security system will then launch emergency protocols such as alerting security and tracking the person as they move within the building. Classes and Exams Students that enroll in Sinclair's Home/Academy follow the American education system with Hero core subjects and electives on the side. Their subjects revolve around becoming upstanding citizens and heroes in service to the community. While there are mandatory subjects to take, Sinclair students have the freedom to choose classes that are relevant to their powers, lifestyle, and future career. The staff also generates a recommended class structure for every student upon enrollment to guide them in their pursuit of knowledge and skills. The Home founders acknowledge the uniqueness of every metahuman and their power(s), making it imperative that the Home and its staff provide whatever that is necessary to give each power the proper respect and singular attention it may need. Students must work towards the qualifications necessary to gain a Powered Hero License which allows them to use their powers in public spaces and serve the community. To have these qualifications, students must sit for exams and go through regular evaluation tests. Furthermore, students must also biannually prepare for the Powered Hero Exams held by UMA and organised by DRPR to acquire their license. The exam is said to be extremely intense and demanding, employing various controversial methods of evaluating students which encourage students to be adaptable for all kinds of scenarios and more importantly, to work together in teams. Evidently, only the most capable are worthy of earning this license, with the intent to fill in the power gap left behind by retired high-ranking Supers and the dwindling number of Bronze Generation heroes. Some of the subjects listed in the curriculum are as follows: * Introduction to Hero Studies ** Superheroes and the Law: Citizen Rights & Responsibilities *** Copyright Law: How to Protect Your Brand *** Philosophy & Ethics of Heroism ** Metahuman-Mundane History & Relationships ** Power Usage, Control, & Development ** Conflict Mediation ** Stealth & Survival ** Combat Tactics & Strategy ** Gadgets & Gizmos: Equipment Optimization & More ** Police Codes & Emergency Response *** Disaster Management ** Animal Care * History, Language, & Anthropology ** Alien Lifeforms: Known Denizens of the Galaxy and Nearby Dimensions ** Xenolinguistics ** Alien Poetry and Literature ** Intergalactic Relations * Physical Education ** Close Quarters & Ranged Combat ** Combat Gymnastics ** Endurance Training ** Ancient Martial Arts ** Flight Class * Mystical Studies ** Daemonology ** Astral Projection ** Herbalism ** Undoing Curses ** Handling Dark Artifacts Safely ** Basic Rituals & Rites ** Elemental Magic ** Charm Casting ** Counter Spellcasting * Life Skills ** Public Speaking ** First Aid ** Personal Finance ** Leadership Skills ** Wilderness Survival ** Parenting * Electives ** Fashion and Costume Design ** Botany & Horticulture ** Planetary Zoology ** Heroes in Mythology ** Understanding Super Sciences ** 101 Ways To Change the Past Without Changing History Mile in My Shoes: Switching Powers Class ** Space Travel & Survival ** Disarming Super-Weapons 101 ** Alien Nutrition ** Alien Anatomy ** Criminology 101 ** Teleportation Basics ** Cooking for Beginner's ** Creative Writing ** Counselling Skills ** Empathy & Telepathy ** Metahuman Heritage & Genealogy ** Shop and Robotics Class * Mundane Core ** Sciences *** Physics (essential for flying, super speed, super strength) *** Biology *** Chemistry ** Health & Safety (unique metahuman health risks) ** Computer Sciences ** Criminal Justice ** Business Studies